The co-founder of Century Radio, Mr Oliver Barry, used his "political clout" to get a "level playing-field" in broadcasting, his bankers noted in the early 1990s. Mr Paddy Corbett, manager of Bank of Ireland in O'Connell Street, said the phrase, recorded in an internal bank memo, was his, but he had no recollection of using it.
According to the memo, Mr Barry "used his political clout to get what is euphemistically called the level playing-field".
Mr Corbett said he was surprised to learn from Mr Barry that he had invested £250,000 of his own money in developing a golf course in west Dublin. This was at a time when Century was in extreme financial difficulties. He learned directly from Mr Barry of Mr John Mulhern's involvement in Century. He informed his superior, who expressed surprise. According to the bank's records, Mr Mulhern was referred to as A.N. Other and his involvement was kept confidential. Mr Mulhern was variously recorded as a "director" and a "shareholder". His involvement only emerged this year.
Mr Seamus O'Neill, former marketing director with Century, said the station should never have been launched when its signal could only reach 45 per cent of the national audience in the month it went on air.
Mr O'Neill, who was head hunted from The Irish Times, said he had been told there would be 60 per cent coverage from the first day of broadcasting. He sold advertising on this basis. He was never shown RTE's transmission document which stated that this level of coverage would not be reached until nine months later. It came as a "hammer-blow" to learn that the 60 per cent coverage was not being reached. There was huge disappointment, advertisers cancelled orders and it became difficult to get new business. RTE responded negatively and aggressively to Century but it did not engage in predatory pricing. "If I'd been in RTE I'd have done the same thing," he said.
Mr O'Neill resigned from Century in January 1990.
